We put the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max through our rigorous DXOMARK Selfie test suite to measure its performance in photo and video from an end-user perspective. This article breaks down how the device fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases and is intended to highlight the most important results of our testing with an extract of the captured data.
Overview
Key front camera specifications:
- 12 MP 1/3.6″ sensor, 23 mm equivalent f/2.2-aperture lens
- 3D sensor
- Cinematic mode for recording videos with shallow depth of field (1080p at 30 fps)
- HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps; 4K video recording at 24/ 25/ 30/ 60 fps; 1080p HD video recording at 25 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
134
selfie
86
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (99)
84
Best: Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (110)
91
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 17 Pro (105)
72
Asus ZenFone 7 Pro
Best: Asus ZenFone 7 Pro (79)
62
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Best: Huawei Mate 50 Pro (94)
83
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Best: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (91)
73
Huawei Mate 50 Pro
Best: Huawei Mate 50 Pro (93)
75
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Best: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (85)
86
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 17 Pro (89)
87
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 15 Pro (90)
89
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 17 Pro (95)
73
Asus ZenFone 6
Best: Asus ZenFone 6 (97)
56
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
Best: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra (83)
87
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Best: Apple iPhone 12 mini (92)
78
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
Best: Apple iPhone 17 Pro (84)
Position in Global Ranking
30
th
2. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
151
2. Google Pixel 11 Pro XL
151
5. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
149
8. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
145
15. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
142
18. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
141
23. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
137
25. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
136
27. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
135
27. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
135
27. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
135
30. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
134
30. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
134
35. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
133
36. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
132
36. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
132
42. Samsung Galaxy S10 5G (Exynos)
130
42. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
130
44. Samsung Galaxy S10+ (Exynos)
129
47. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
127
56. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
122
56. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
122
60. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
119
69. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
112
72. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
111
73. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
110
83. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
100
96. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
83
Position in Ultra-Premium Ranking
25
th
2. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
151
2. Google Pixel 11 Pro XL
151
5. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
149
8. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
145
14. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
142
17. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
141
20. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
137
21. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
136
22. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
135
22. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
135
22. Samsung Galaxy Note20 (Exynos)
135
25. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
134
25. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
134
28. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
133
29. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
132
31. Samsung Galaxy S10 5G (Exynos)
130
31. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
130
33. Samsung Galaxy S10+ (Exynos)
129
40. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
122
40. Honor Magic4 Ultimate
122
47. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
112
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
111
56. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
83
Pros
- Accurate target exposure on face
- Nice color and skin tones
- Good detail in indoor and outdoor shots
- Quite accurate depth estimation in bokeh mode
- Wide dynamic range and accurate target exposure in video
- Accurate white balance in video
- Wide focus range in video means all subjects are in focus
Cons
- Luminance noise
- Occasional white balance casts
- Clipping in challenging backlit scenes
- Fixed focus means subjects further away from the camera are out of focus
- High noise levels in video, especially in low light
- Residual motion in walking videos
- Loss of detail in low light video
With all iPhone 13 series devices sharing the same front camera specs and processor, it’s fair to assume the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max Selfie results are very close to those of the iPhone 13 Pro. We have confirmed this by putting the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max through the complete DXOMARK Selfie test protocol.
In this outdoor shot, you can see that the image output of the two cameras is pretty much identical, with the same high level of detail and good subject exposure. There is some highlight clipping in the brighter background but overall the iPhone front camera deals really well with this difficult backlit scene.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, outdoor selfie
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, crop: good detail and subject exposure but highlight clipping in the background
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, outdoor selfie
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, crop: pretty much identical image quality
Not only still image quality is very similar on the 13 Pro Max and 13 Pro. The same is true for video footage. In this example, you can see that the subject is well exposed but the stabilization system cannot counteract all walking motion.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max, good target exposure, some residual motion
Apple iPhone 13 Pro, very similar video performance to the Pro Max
Given the pretty much identical results, we are posting only this short article for the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max. For the full set of sample images and measurements as well as a complete analysis, please click on the link below and read the full review of the Apple iPhone 13 Pro.
Go to the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Selfie review
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